Actual Ballast Weight

(motogod77) · (motogod77) **Join Date: Aug 2008** 07-31-2009, 1:12 PM

Has anyone actually launched a boat, filled the tanks, pulled the boat out full or water, and emptied them into some sort of measurable tank or pool to see if the "Manufacturers' Claimed Weight" is accurate?

A reliable source told me that the really weighted boats like an MB or Epic are about 2/3's or 1/2 the weight of what they actually claim. An MB would have almost 6 55 gallon drums of water under the floor and an Epic would have 9 55 gallon drums - come on now.

(liquidmx) · (liquidmx) **Join Date: Jun 2005** 07-31-2009, 1:25 PM

Good point TQ...is anyone "checking" the claims being made by these boat companies?

(skibum69) · (skibum69) **Join Date: Aug 2004** 07-31-2009, 1:36 PM

maybe they used deuterium "heavy water" when calculating the specs?

(motogod77) · (motogod77) **Join Date: Aug 2008** 07-31-2009, 2:29 PM

We need a ballast secret shopper to go demo boats and weigh the water weight -

(nauty) · (nauty) **Join Date: Feb 2004** 07-31-2009, 2:39 PM

If you have access to measure the tanks you can figure it out.

To calculate the total weight of each tank use this formula (this takes into account that a gallon of water weighs 8.33 lbs):

Length x Width x hieght x .036 = total weight

Example: a 750 lb 20x20x50 Pro-X fat sac....

20x20x50x.036 = 720 lbs

This sac is 720 lbs if filled exactly to the seams (a perfect rectangle). However, since fat sacs stretch you can eaily fit another 30 lbs into one of these sacs, thus they market them at 750 lbs.

If you are measuring hard tanks this formula should be fairly accurate.

(greatdane) · (greatdane) **Join Date: Feb 2001** 07-31-2009, 4:00 PM

I suspect that they are "stretch the truth". Certainly, BU's claim that wedge is like 1000 lbs is a stretch.

(jeff359) · (jeff359) **Join Date: Jun 2005** 07-31-2009, 4:14 PM

Drive a bu with the weight and it feels like every bit of 2000 lbs. With that said I feel that almost every company pads the stats

(motogod77) · (motogod77) **Join Date: Aug 2008** 07-31-2009, 4:19 PM

I had a Mali Echelon with a wedge and you knew it when that thing was down, it felt like 2K lbs - My Bro in Law has a new VLX and you can tell but not as much as I originally thought.

(phenom_1819) · (phenom_1819) **Join Date: Jan 2008** 08-03-2009, 9:42 AM

If you question it... fill your ballast on the trailer using a fake-a-lake on the ballast intake. Then drain into 30-gallon garbage cans. When full, each can is 250 lbs.

That's what I did with a Fly High integrated bow sack I added in my boat (475 lbs in a Supra 22, for the record...). Then poured the water towards the lawn afterwards so at least it wasn't completely wasted...

(alans) · (alans) **Join Date: Aug 2005** 08-03-2009, 9:54 AM

I believe that MB's Ballast is greater than claimed, especially in the big 23' Tomcats. 2,500 lbs would be 5.4 55 gal drums or 2.7 per side.

I don't have pictures here at work, but I can post when i get home. The tanks are about 144 inches long, 18 inches wide and 14 inches deep.

(alans) · (alans) **Join Date: Aug 2005** 08-03-2009, 11:54 AM

Haha, From the man... Tomcat Specs.

"The 23 Tom Cat tanks are 144 X 20 X 14 divided by 231 equals 174.55 gal. X 8lbs = 1396.40 lbs. per side not included are the 80 lbs floor supports inside the top floors."
-MB

Not a bad guesstimate if I must say so myself